NYCC 2016 Crowds Enjoy First Half of the Pilot For FX Series Legion

The FX series Legion is set to arrive early next year.

The New York Comic Con crowds were treated to a lot of great, exclusives this year, including footage and an extended trailer for the upcoming War for the Planet of the Apes, previews for the Doctor Who Christmas special and Doctor Who spinoff Class, and the full first episode for the upcomingDirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. Which by itself is enough to make a grown man cry. But then, they had to go ahead and just make the pain just a little worse, by sharing the first half of the pilot episode for the upcoming FX series Legion with lucky Con attendees.

In addition, some other interesting pieces of news regarding the series also came out of the Legion panel (with showrunner Noah Hawley, X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner, Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb, and cast members Bill Irwin, Katie Astleton, Amber Midthunder, Jeremie Harris, Aubrey Plaza, Rachel Keller, and Dan Stevens) so let’s get into it. (Also, SPOILERS may be lurking.)

What Happened in the First Half of the Pilot for FX Series Legion?

For those of us unable to attend, it’s good that there are some kind souls out there like the folks at THR, who were willing to share at least some details of what the first half of the pilot contained.

“As with Fargo, Hawley’s Legion plays out in non-linear fashion, hopping between different points in time — forward, backward, and perhaps into other temporal arenas as well. Ingredients scattered throughout the episode include a chocolate cupcake with forbidden frosting, licorice ropes, discussion of a nightmarish creature called “The Devil with Yellow Eyes,” swift romances, heartfelt kisses in window reflections, a potential murder mystery, and an impressive one-take through a very dangerous facility that escalates the show from psychological drama to full-blown X-Men series.”

That description, coupled with the teaser that Marvel / FX released earlier this year at SDCC 2016, has me very excited for the series.

So, what other bits of Legion-related info was shared?

Will Professor X Be In the Series?

For those who aren’t familiar with the character, David Haller (Legion) is the son of Professor X. And Hawley did say, when asked if he would be part of the show, that there will be at least “an element” of the Professor in the series: “I don’t think you can really tell the story without that element to it. I mean, there’s a wheelchair in the first scene…”

How Connected Will it Be to the X-Men Universe?

According to Donner, “This is far from the X-Men movies but still lives in that universe. The only way for X-Men to keep moving forward is to be original and to surprise. And this is a surprise. It is very, very different.” Hawley had this to say as well, “There’s a certain degree to where that’s to be determined. We’re in David’s subjective reality, so it’s hard to tell. One thing that’s attractive about X-Men is there are alternate timelines and universes.” He added that fans should have no cause for worry, as they stayed true to the origins of the character.

Interestingly, Loeb also weighed in, speaking about the current gap between Fox with the X-Men property and Marvel. He said that his presence at the panel should be taken as a sign that “bridges are being made” between Fox and Marvel studios, “but I don’t want to make any promises that I’ll have to explain the next time someone asks me.” Which is good news, especially considering additional evidence of those bridges being built with the upcoming Fox-owned but creatively Marvel driven Spider-Man: Homecoming movie.

Hawley concluded that they had to earn the right to be a part of the Marvel universe. “My hope is we create something so strong that the people in the movie studio call and say they would be foolish enough not to connect these things. But all I can do is control the show and make the best version possible.”

New Addition to the Cast for FX Series Legion?

At the panel, Hawley also confirmed that Jemaine Clement would be joining the show, though the details surrounding his role are being kept under wraps for now. However, according to Deadline, they’re saying his character w ill figure in as part of a “multi-episode arc.”

I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m very excited for FX series Legion.

Anders Clark is a sci-fi addict, nerd and lover of movies. He enjoys writing about all the latest and greatest in the world of science fiction and can't wait for jet-packs, self driving hover cars, space travel and instant food synthesizers.